


Retribution

by Yuki_Frill



Series: Dark Claudia AU [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Crownguard!Rayla, Dark!Claudia, Future Character Death, Mentioned Ezran, Post-Finale, Royal Advisor!Callum, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Some Rayllum, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2020-12-09 06:50:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20990636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuki_Frill/pseuds/Yuki_Frill
Summary: Claudia had forgotten along the way that she was no God and that she didn't get to decide who lives and who dies. It took her brother's sword to finally open her eyes to the reality of what she had become; and that retribution doesn't work the way she believed it did.(Written before S3)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been on my mind since I finished season 2, has been rotting in my laptop since early May, and finally gets to see the outside world today.  
It's inspired by many fanfictions that covers the aftermath of Claudia's spell, especially [deer by Prim_The_Amazing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17816000?view_adult=true). Hands down one of my favorite Claudia-centric stories ever.

Soren was five when he knew he’d be a knight one day and then for the rest of his life.

The thrill he felt the moment he carried his first sword was only fuel to the fire that was his ambition. For as long as he could stand straight and his arms could hold the sword, he’d be a knight.

His family was supportive despite his Father’s mild disdain that his eldest had no compatibility with the subject of his own passion. His sister Claudia was his biggest supporter; being the loudest when it came to cheering for him. He was hers, too. At least until magic made him feel yucky.

He couldn’t explain why, but there’s always something in him that said it’s wrong; that no such shortcut could exist without payment. Claudia would always talk him into believing that magic was good. Magic could do anything and the price was practice. The more you practice, the less toll it took, she said. Soren’s brain didn’t have the ability to even reason with her, but the small voice inside that said it’s wrong never subsided. Nevertheless, he never sincerely denied her way of life; only letting some cynical comments slip every now and then. And he couldn’t deny that some of the reason may lie on the fact that Claudia’s affinity with magic earned her a better place in their Father’s heart.

They’d do their own thing; him as a cadet and her as a practitioner under their Father. They were some of the youngest in their field of choice and were highly respected for that, earning the prodigy title. Such title came with pressure and expectations that both of them were burdened with but also proud to have. The future only had one path for them both, and they were happy to fill that road with everything they could.

Soren was eighteen when his spine broke, effectively turning his entire future prospect to dust. He could no longer walk nor hold a sword. Pressure and expectations left him like steam and he couldn’t even reach to keep them. He was crushed but his sister even more so. For her, he tried to be strong. He thought of a way, anything to make her laugh and erase that sad, confused look from her face like it was her future that dissipated beyond salvation. He made her a poem, but she didn’t like it. She went high and beyond to fix him. The explosion of lights and flashy electrocution followed by a sudden white streak in Claudia’s hair meant magic again. And although he still couldn’t fully accept magic, his recovery was something he would forever be thankful of.

What he didn’t know of was that it was only the beginning of a story so much grimmer. Because there was _always _a price to pay; such is the law of retribution.

* * *

Soren stopped in front of the cell, keys in hand, down in the deepest corner of the dungeon where the worst of criminals were kept until their trial. Most of them traitors to the crown. Some of them heartless monsters who took the lives of many. Two months ago had been his last visit, which ended ugly but he was soon allowed to come down here again after good behavior.

He consciously snapped his back upright and attempted to even his breathing. To be completely frank, he’d bet the person inside the cell could already tell who he was and that he was there. From the other side of the door, Soren could hear the thrilled footsteps before a head popped up into view in the tiny gap on the steel door.

“Soren!” his sister called, excitable as always. Full black eyes, no longer green, and full white hair, no longer dark as night. Cracked skin and visible blue veins underneath, but still his beautiful baby sister. “It’s been so long!” she beamed.

“Yeah,” Soren said, chuckling awkwardly and showing a goofy grin although he knew Claudia couldn’t see it. “It sure has! You must’ve missed me _terribly_!”

“Why not?” she answered, shrugging and refusing to be direct. “Hand,” she then commanded, “Give me your hand.”

Soren obeyed and brought his hand between the bars. His _muscular_ hand could only go so far in, but that was enough. It’s always been enough. Soon, he could feel Claudia’s calloused hands held his as she snuggled it with her cheek.

“Soren, you’re burning up!” she claimed.

He wasn’t. She was ice cold, though.

“Yeah? Must be the weather,” he dismissed, then rattled the keys to let her know his intention. “Let’s get you outta here, sis.”

Soren’s statement immediately earned Claudia’s genuine shock and doubt as she let go of his hand and proceeded to stare at him. “Me? Out? Are you sure?”

“Hey, I know your eyesight’s getting bad but you can hear this, right?” he asked, rattling the keys again, this time getting them closer to the cell. “Yeah, I’m getting you outta that ugly cage.”

From what little Soren could see from the gap, Claudia looked thoughtful. It had been four years since she was instituted but not once had she ever asked to be freed upon knowing she would be kept here for an indefinite time. Every time Soren visited, she would only ask for his hand as it was the only part of him that could go through. That small human touch was enough to keep her somewhat sane for a long time. And, perhaps, the knowledge that her magic still worked well on him all these years was the only thing that ever mattered to her anymore.

“I don’t know, I kind of like my,” she made quotation marks with her fingers, “_cage_, as you call it.”

From just a little of what Soren could see from outside, the cell was fully made of stone to ensure its prisoner to never see the light of day. There was nearly nothing inside to keep anyone occupied and away from their loud mind, but also nothing to harm themselves. On top of that, it was a cramped space that was barely even cleaned; an unsettling comparison to the luxury life him and his sister had been showered with since birth due to their Father’s honorable position in the kingdom.

“You’re kidding, right? You’d miss a chance to get all of this?” He tried to sound as cheerful and unbothered as possible as he gestured to himself. And despite not being able to see him, his sister snorted. “Not just the hand. Eh? Eh?” he tempted.

Claudia played along, pretending to think. “Hmmm, does that mean I get to, say, do the noogies, too?”

“A package deal.”

“And get hugs?”

“Sor-bear hugs.”

“Tempting.”

“Dang it!” Soren faked devastation. “Alright, hear me out: Three hugs and a cup of hot brown morning potion.”

“You don’t even know how to make it,” Claudia giggled, reminding him of when she was a toddler barely learning to walk. She would run into furniture and fall. Everyone in the house would rush to her rescue. But she’d get up again with a giggle. She’d always been a tough baby. “Well, I guess I _have_ to make it for us.”

“Thanks, I kinda had no idea how to keep my word. Getting you out now,” Soren said, inserting the key without waiting for his sister’s reply. He couldn’t waste any more time.

“Oh,” was Claudia’s first word when she stepped out of her cell after years. “This feels weird.” She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck and producing crusts from the friction. Then she looked around as if expecting there to be more people.

That was also the very first time Soren had gotten a good, full look of his sister ever since she was imprisoned. How much she had _grown. _She was considerably taller since the last time he saw her in full person. She had always been on the taller side but so was their entire family, honestly. She was wearing a long, white gown with sleeves that only covered half of her arm length, exposing veiny skin everywhere he looked; some parts had dried blood on them that she probably couldn’t see. Her face was the worst; although accented now compared to before, it looked parched and fragile to the touch that he had to seal the urge to touch it in fear of hurting her. Her eyes were pure black and she had told him that her vision was deteriorating rapidly it felt like she was looking through a heavily-tinted glass. Her hair was pure white with scarce streaks of black; just what’s left of her before she was completely gone.

Fighting the urge to cry at her appearance, Soren sniffled then opened his arms and nodded at her, offering to fulfill his promise of three hugs. But Claudia shook her head. “Uh-uh,” she said, “I’ll decide when to claim the hugs.”

Soren raised a brow but decided not to ask questions, letting his arms fall on his sides again. “Oh, okay, sure.” Then he wordlessly held her hand to guide her through the hall and she followed obediently.

“Thanks, Soren,” she said, smiling up at him like a four-year-old. He didn’t know what for, specifically.

“Hey, don’t mention it,” he said, trying to smile.

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed as she faced forward again, almost skipping with her barefooted steps. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“Home,” he said, ignoring the looks from the prisoners left and right peering out into the hallway as he walked past them.

His sister didn’t deserve to be kept among these monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the introduction to this AU(?) that I've been developing since May. I already finished this story for months and I even wrote a companion piece for it although it's still not done. I thought posting this could finally give me the motivation to finish that one as well. Did you guys enjoy the premise this story offers? If so, kudos and comments will be extra appreciated!


	2. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claudia is adorable, Soren is an Overprotective Brother™, Callum is struggling with trust issues, and Rayla is the only adult around here.

Soren remembered the first time he had hot brown morning potion the dawn of King Harrow’s funeral.

He remembered being exhausted from being up all night guarding the royal chamber, tensed and on alert, then spent the rest of it fighting off elves and nearly getting killed. Claudia had offered him the warm goodness and it instantly made him forget about his fatigue. She looked so proud when he told her how much he liked it. He jokingly told her she should open a shop selling it one day if magic didn’t work out well for her.

“Maybe I should,” she’d said then, piggybacking on his joke. “Hey and, if knighting doesn’t work out for you, you could be there entertaining my customers. With a poem, maybe. You suck so bad at them it’s hilarious. They’ll _love_ you!”

Weird that now he actually thought he wanted that. Now that he was watching his sister’s back as she brewed the potion for them, humming something she made up, he could imagine her in a shop of her own, just enjoying life. Wouldn’t that be something?

“Here you go, sir,” Claudia said, smiling as she slid the cup towards him. “I haven’t made it for a long time now, I hope I didn’t mess it up.”

He took the cup. “Hey, no one else but _you_ can make this thing. You can’t_ mess it up_.”

She chuckled, bringing the cup to her mouth. “Thanks.”

They sat in silence for a moment, both just appreciating the delicacy of the beverage; something a brash man like Soren was usually not really good at. There was something hanging in the air between them just waiting to be addressed, the problem was they both wished it was the other who did.

Soren observed as Claudia tried her best to keep her long bangs out of the way but always missed some strands. Either she was nervous or her hair was honestly just really troubling her. It _was _very long, after all, almost reaching her ankle when she stood. In the end, she twisted her hair and threw it behind her hoping it would hold but it immediately un-twisted and fell again. She huffed.

“Hey, Clauds?” Claudia shot her head up at him, anticipating. “Let’s get your hair cut, okay?”

It most definitely wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but a smile made its way to her face anyway.

“Sure.”

* * *

It was a slow and quiet day so Soren brought Claudia to the courtyard to let her get a breath of fresh air. She’d washed herself (he helped a bit because she was handicapped) and changed into new clothes; they’d tried to find her old dress but it wouldn’t fit anymore so she’s wearing a makeshift attire made out of Soren’s old tunic held together with a belt and a pair of pants. Thank goodness she could still slip into her old boots because Soren’s were much too big and smelled otherworldly. Her white hair was also cut into her old length for easier mobility.

Soren could see the judging stares from what couple of people who were there and was never so thankful of Claudia’s impaired vision. His sister had innocently greeted everyone she recognized and while they weren’t openly hostile to her, they were nowhere near friendly.

At some point, Claudia had asked him if she could visit the library by herself. He was never a fan of the place and he didn’t see a problem of letting her read some books so he let her go.

It was soon after Claudia left that he saw a familiar figure approach. He immediately clicked his tongue.

“Soren, we need to talk.”

The young advisor was wearing his royal uniform but did not get rid of that ugly scarf he treasured so much. Beside him was his assigned guard slash best friend, Rayla the Moonshadow elf, whose one horn had been cut in half. Soren didn’t want to recall how that happened.

While Callum’s attention was fully on Soren, Rayla had her attention on Claudia who was visible from second level of the west building, scaring a servant when she waved at them. Soren figured his sister’s current appearance could use a little getting used to, but the servant’s reaction was too much. He unconsciously tapped his foot in annoyance.

“Yeah?” Soren asked sourly when Callum stopped in front of him. He might serve the King now, but he still did not fully lose his hostility towards the King’s brother for what he did to his sister.

“So, uhm, where do I begin?” Callum brought his hands together and pressed them against his lips as he looked thoughtful. Then followed by an awkward, nervous chuckle. “Hmm, this is going to sound unpleasant but,” the young advisor took a deep breath. “You see, about—”

“Ugh, quit beating around the bush!” beside him, Rayla snapped. “What Callum is trying to say is, why are you letting Claudia roam about freely with little to no supervision? Everyone in the castle is on edge,” she finished then crossed her arms and turned to Callum, who looked baffled. “That’s how confrontation is done, you’re welcome.”

Callum raised his index finger to make a point but decided to keep it to himself. Then he returned his attention to Soren, “What Rayla said.”

The elf rolled her eyes.

On the other end, Soren had the look that was a mix between disbelief, confusion and ire. “Anything wrong with giving my sister basic human rights?”

The way Soren phrased his question gave Callum a pang of guilt, but this time, the young advisor didn’t let his elven friend step up again. “It’s not wrong. But she needs to at least be supervised given her… condition. I’m sorry for phrasing it this way.”

Despite Callum’s apology, Soren took offense. “What _condition_?” he asked loudly. “You heard what the doctor said!”

“Royal physician,” Callum reluctantly corrected.

Soren crossed his arms and scoffed. “Whatever, same thing. You heard what he said; Claudia is… ugh, I forgot the term but thing is, he declared that she’s fine now,” he reasoned. “She’s fine. She won’t harm anything or _anyone_. She can’t even do magic anymore!”

Callum sighed. “I heard him loud and clear, Soren. And I know Claudia is harmless without magic.”

Soren looked skeptical, still. “So you’re saying you don’t trust _me_,” he tried.

“I _would_ trust you if not for the whole prison break fiasco two months ago that we had to ban you from visiting her for a while,” Callum said half-jokingly to lighten the mood but when Soren didn’t share his humor, he quickly returned to the comfort of seriousness with a cough. “Look, you’ve vowed to protect the King, _my brother_,” he emphasized, “and I believe you. But at the same time, I know how it feels to be a brother. I’m not in your shoes but even _I_ do feel some sort of…sympathy towards Claudia, my old friend, that I want to help her. I know it’s even stronger for you. She’s your sister.”

“Well, you’re wrong.” How dare he assume what Soren felt? “I can do this. I’m not some immature brat who doesn’t understand the weight of his duty, alright? _My_ sister doesn’t just get a free pass to everything.”

Callum scowled sadly. “Soren…”

“Don’t look at me like that, step-Prince, no, _royal advisor_,” the blond hissed before turning to the person beside Callum. “And tell your guard elf not to look at me like she’s ready to draw her blade when I turn my back. Or I might have to draw mine first.” He touched the tip of his sword.

“Soren, please.” Callum tried brought his hands up then turned to his guard. “And Rayla, you too, please.”

Soren balled his fist.

Rayla clicked her tongue and brought her hands together. “Fine.” Then her attention was back to where Claudia was a moment ago. “As a proof of my _trust _to you, Soren, I’ll leave you alone with the royal advisor. As I believe you won’t harm him. Besides, you don’t need me here especially when all I do is double your hostility,” she stated boldly, making Callum nervous and Soren looking like he agreed. She turned around—to the direction of where Claudia was, Soren noticed—then patted Callum a couple of times on the shoulder before disappearing.

“Uhh, so I guess we should talk?” Callum suggested, smiling nervously. Soren groaned and walked away; the young advisor scrambling to follow.

* * *

Claudia had always loved the library. Not only because of the hunger for new knowledge she could learn from every new book she borrowed, it was also a special place for her and her Father. They’d spend hours and hours in the library, quietly reading together and showing each other their discovery. If she ever had questions, her Father would patiently give her the answers. What she loved most was the look on his face whenever he gave her answers; so accomplished and proud. And when _she _gave _him _answer to his question? God, even better.

Today, Claudia scared the living daylight out of the librarian lady when she stepped in. She thought it’s kind of rude that outer appearance could change people’s attitude towards someone to that extent. The lady used to like her.

Eh, not like it mattered much.

Claudia roamed about the place, trying to find relevant books but having a hard time looking at anything that’s farther than her arm’s length. She had to squint and basically shove her face into the spines to read the titles clearly.

Somewhere behind her, someone cleared their throat. Claudia turned around to see make out a horned person after squinting, with the librarian lady cowering behind them.

“Don’t worry, she’s harmless,” she heard Rayla whisper to the scared lady. Her hearing had been very sharp ever since she lost 70% of her vision. “And she has permission to be out today. You can go back to work peacefully now.” The librarian nodded appreciatively and returned to her station.

“Hi, Rayla,” Claudia greeted and waved cheerfully.

“Claudia,” Rayla responded curtly.

“So,” Claudia said as she turned her back to the girl and continued browsing for books. “Are you here to supervise me?”

Rayla followed her along, just ten steps behind. “No. Your brother _convinced _us that you need nothing of the sort.”

“With words? How rare.”

Amused, Rayla decided to play along. “There were plenty of words involved. Swords were held but not drawn. A progress, I guess.”

Claudia snorted at the elf’s sassy retort then shrugged casually. “But eh, that’s not true. I could use some help around here that’s not him.”

It was Rayla’s turn to snort. “Yeah, try telling him that.”

Claudia chuckled gingerly, then stopped in front of a rack, seemingly have found the section she’d been looking for. Rayla noticed that the former dark mage was looking for books that covered dark magic and questioned herself if it was alarming or if the royal physician approved.

“What a time to be alive, huh?” Rayla slightly flinched when Claudia started talking after a moment of silence. She was already carrying a couple of books to the nearest table. “Now, people seek protection from you, an elf, and are scared of _me_. Didn’t expect Katolis could fundamentally change so much in just a few years.”

Rayla casually followed and commented, “If you ask me, their fear is justified.”

Claudia snickered again. She liked how bold Rayla was; not even trying to be considerate with Claudia’s feelings. It was a breath of fresh air that somebody still treated her the exact same way as before she was imprisoned. Soren had been tiptoeing around her since he whisked her out of her cell; not getting pissed at all about things she did that used to piss him off, and being extra nice. Not to mention the constant constipated look on his face that he wore whenever he’s keeping a bad secret. What a bad, bad liar, she thought; just like their Mother. She knew he was hiding something and she’d always enjoyed the flustered, dumbfounded look on his face whenever she successfully guessed his secret, but she’d spare him this time.

“How’s Callum?” she asked again when she opened a book, trying to look like she cared less than she really did.

“Juggling between actual work and still being a teenager. Tired but fine, I guess? Oh, and he does magic for stress relief when the adults wouldn’t stop breathing down his neck.”

Claudia’s hand that was scanning the pages stopped, then she looked up to Rayla again. “That’s…good. Primal magic, I assume? I’m happy to hear that.” She ended with a genuine smile, but the said smile then dissipated when she squinted at Rayla.

“What?” Rayla asked, wary.

“Your… horn,” Claudia pointed out, just noticing. She immediately looked guilty. Rayla’s conscience was starting to shake. All she wanted was to be sure that Claudia was not to be trusted but it seemed nothing was harder a task. “I’m sorry about what I did. I really mean it.”

“Oh,” Rayla mumbled, trying not to let it get to her. “Uh, well, it’s terrible, what you did. But it’s been, what, four years now? Nobody really cares that one of my horns is shorter than the other.” She shrugged.

Claudia shook her head apologetically. “Still, you must’ve been scared.”

“Scared? Of you?” Rayla snorted. “Moonshadow elves don’t get _scared. _Furious, is the word. Luckily, I’ve always been the least trusting of you so the betrayal didn’t come as much of a surprise.”

At that, Claudia blinked before she burst out laughing. She was sure the librarian was annoyed and wanted nothing but to kick her out already but she could pretend she didn’t know. Rayla was slightly laughing along with her and that’s enough.

“Are you doing anything?” she asked after her laughter subsided. “I could use some company if you weren’t here to, you know, _supervise_.”

“Well, I’m paid to guard the royal advisor but he doesn’t need me at the moment.”

“Perfect! Can you help me look for something in these books?” Claudia gestured to the tower of books she’d handpicked earlier.

“Yeah, no, I don’t really enjoy reading. It’s Callum’s thing.” Rayla politely declined but when Claudia only smiled knowingly at her, the elf sighed. “_But_ this is a library and I could pretend I do.” She dragged a chair and place it on the opposite side of the table then sat on it. “What are you looking for?” she asked, pulling some of the books to her side.

Claudia grinned wider as she leafed through the pages of her ginormous book. “Oh, I just want to know if this particular applied magic will lose effect if the caster perished.”

* * *

If one earns a gold coin every second they don’t speak, Callum and Soren would’ve been rich by now.

Callum was never particularly talkative if it didn’t involve his hobby; that’s what introverts do. Speaking to Rayla wasn’t hard; her sassy yet good-natured comebacks actually made him feel less nervous. Speaking to Ezran was always never hard unless they were fighting and not speaking to each other; that’s what siblings do.

“So, how are you doing so far?” Callum was the first one to speak.

Speaking to Soren? Well, they always had Claudia in the mix and the girl was a social butterfly who never seem to run out of topics. She easily made people forget they’re introverts.

“Fine.” Soren didn’t care to mask the coldness of his tone.

“Okay.” Callum was patient.

Come to think of it, what kind of person _is _Soren without Claudia? The two was always inseparable they’re basically conjoint. Their dynamic was so merged together that it was hard to imagine one without the other. Even when they were apart, they talk about the other all the time. Now, just mentioning his sister’s name is taboo to Soren. Callum never really thought about it but now that he did, it saddened him.

It was probably the only thing that could earn a reaction from Soren. It was worth a try. “How’s Claudia?”

The Crownguard flinched, most likely not seeing the straightforwardness coming.

_Why don’t you go see her yourself if you’re so curious? _Was what Soren wanted to say but he still had a bit of self-restraint. “Nothing’s changed since the last time you saw her. When you dragged her to jail, I mean.”

Soren peered over his shoulder for Callum’s reaction and was satisfied when the younger boy growing pale from the direct attack. “Alright. Soren, I know you have some… unresolved grudge against me.” Think like Rayla. Think like Rayla. Confrontation wasn’t that hard. “Why don’t we talk it out before, you know, tomorrow.”

“Nope, I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

“I think you do.”

“Uh, I think I don’t.” Soren challenged, throwing his face away. But he turned back to Callum again soon. “You know what, if you’re going to be pestering me non-stop about it then maybe I’ll give you a piece of my mind.”

Callum’s face was a combination of awkward smile and ready-to-be-punched. “Please.”

“Alright, firstly, why are you stalking me like some creep? You don’t trust me with this, do you? In fact, the whole castle don’t. They’re all just on edge and waiting for the moment I suddenly change my mind and _whoosh _run away with my sister. You think I can’t see the looks people give me in the streets knowing what Claudia’s done to their family members and probably knowing what she did it for. My fellow guards are _on guard _whenever I’m around. They think I’m an accomplice, don’t they? I haven’t felt any sort of _trust_ from anyone but the King and my sister for four years now and I feel like crap.” He chuckled darkly. “Guess who’s armed and waiting for me two months ago when I pretended to go on a quest to release my sister for shits and giggles; my whole troop! Well, joke’s on me, because they all looked like they’ve been waiting for this to happen! Hilarious, right? Nobody trusts me!”

It was intense. As if he’d been holding back all of this for four years.

“Soren, I’m sorry.” Callum truly was.

“Nah, I’m just being a jerk, aren’t I? I think I’m just angry and sad. It’s just… she’s my sister and…”

“I know.”

“And she really is, now, even more than before. She’s the Claudia I know again after so long." A pause. "But… but it’s ending, isn’t it?”

Callum slumped. “I’m really, really sorry. It has to be done, you know that. The whole kingdom has it out for her and she has to pay for what she’s done to many people. Even if it’s not us who do it, a plethora of people out there are ready to take the job. And they wouldn’t be as nice about it. She wouldn’t be safe anywhere in the kingdom. I know it sounds cold but think of it as a chance for you to prove your loyalty to the crown again. Once you get through with it, you’ll earn everyone’s trust back.”

He couldn’t understand politics but he could see Callum’s point. It was why he volunteered to take the job in the first place. That, and his unwillingness to see someone else did it to _his _sister.

At his silence, Callum grew anxious. “Are you sure you can do it? If it’s too hard, I can look for a replacement if we begin searching now.”

As if he would let anyone else take the job. Nobody but him was allowed to do it. “No. I _can _do it. I’ll do it. I won’t let anyone else do it.”

Callum looked at him to reaffirm the truth behind his words. But Soren was never the tricky sibling and he wasn’t hard to read. “Alright. Then, I trust you to do it.”

* * *

Callum sat on the edge of his bed, overlooking the open doors that led to the balcony. As tomorrow drew near, his thoughts wondered to the past. Of days where Soren would be dragging him through the mud during swordfighting lessons and Claudia would be there ready to defend him if Soren went too far. Of days where he’d run into her in the hallway or in the library then listen to her talk nonstop about the new spell she’d mastered because Soren wouldn’t give her his time of the day. Of days where trusting was much easier. Days when trusting _her _wouldn’t result in a traumatizing level of regret. Not a day had he stopped questioning if it would end the same if he’d made different choices then.

He sighed.

“Why so sullen?” someone behind him asked. He didn’t even hear the door open. As expected of his ex-assassin friend. “Saddened by the fact that I’m _still _taller than you?”

“I’m telling you it’s the horns!” he snapped, turning around to face her. “My head is half an inch taller than yours now, okay?”

“Wow, so intimidating.” Rayla did half-hearted jazz hands and rolled her eyes. Then she approached him and leaned against the bed frame, crossing her arms. “So, what’s really on your mind?”

“It’s… nothing.”

Rayla shrugged. “Okay. If you don’t wanna talk, can I?”

“Sure.” Callum returned his attention to the view over the balcony.

“So, I ran into Claudia at the library just now.”

“Wait, what?" He snapped his head at her again, now standing. "Rayla, did you talk to her? You talked to her, didn’t you?”

“Did you expect me to magically turn mute after we look at each other?”

“But—but why?” Callum scrambled to find the right words. “I thought we agreed we’re to stay away from her until the, you know!”

“_You _are supposed to stay away from her to maintain neutrality, royal advisor. I have nothing to do with it.”

Callum grabbed the sides of his head and dropped his whole body onto the bed, making it creak. “Rayla, you’re killing meeee,” he whined.

Rayla rolled her eyes again. The man-boy was _so _dramatic even after all these years. “Look, we spent the best part of one hour in silence, surrounded by… books she made me read. She did not brainwash me into anything. Calm down.”

Callum immediately sprung up again, then shoot her with interrogative questions, “What books? Do they involve brainwashing? Maybe mind-control? To be honest, the fact that she got you to read books must already involve some kind of hypnosis!”

“Callum.” Rayla looked in awe. “God, what has she _done_ to you?”

“What?” Callum raised a brow, confused.

“She’s turned you into this,” she gestured to him up and down, and he looked a bit offended, “untrusting monster.”

“Rayla, have you forgotten what she made me do to _you_?” Callum made it no secret what he was looking at; her broken horn.

“Ye, I know." Rayla put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She’s one of your oldest friends. You’ve liked her for the majority of your life. But she betrayed you and manipulated you again and again. You’re traumatized.”

“Okay, _traumatized_ is a powerful word.”

“Oh, shush.”

Callum sighed, then returned to sit on his bed again, now followed by Rayla who sat by his side. “It’s just… she can be, you know, convincing. Persuasive?”

“_Manipulative_, my friend, is the word you seek.”

“Why are you so against kinder vocabularies?” Callum glared and Rayla shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t have the confidence that I’ll be able to stay neutral if I came in contact with her.”

The elf softened. “Look at you, already rolling out of the neutral zone just from talking about her. Listen to me, you did nothing wrong, about this,” she said, touching the tip of her shorter horn, “or about befalling justice upon her back then. If anything, I still believe this is the best we could’ve done for her. What else would you have done? Let her take more lives? Let her die?”

“I know." Callum nodded grimly. "I know, it’s just… I wish I could’ve done more, I guess. Did you see the look on Soren’s face?”

The former assassin groaned. “Oh, that guy is as subtle as a volcano eruption. How could I not?”

That’s true. And that was the difference between the siblings that Callum had changed his opinion about in the last four years. While the young him had often found Soren’s brashness offensive and Claudia’s sweetness comforting, it all changed after they found the egg four summers ago, placing his two old friends on the opposing side of him. Soren’s attacks were direct and, majority of the time, sportive. Claudia’s attacks were…psychological and smart. He found himself believing her again and again despite multiple betrayals. It ruined him forever. He was scared that if he saw her again, he’d believe her again.

“Do you think I made the right choice by letting him take the job?”

Rayla sat on the bed and gave him the look he was familiar with. It was the look she gave Ezran when he insisted on helping people when they were in trouble themselves. Proud but mildly annoyed.

“Am I the royal advisor’s _advisor _on top of being a Crown Guard?” she joked. “Because I might have to ask for a raise.”

* * *

Dinner was uneventful. At first.

The cafeteria was unusually empty. Even with her deteriorating eyesight, she could still pick up the tension creeping around Soren's entire being. She found it increasingly easier to pretend she didn't notice things by using said deteriorating eyesight as an excuse. So she pretended she didn't notice the quietness and instead, she began reminiscing childhood events with him.

It worked well; as Soren's started to really get into it after two funny childhood stories about puke and setting furniture on fire. By the time she noticed, he's the one coming up with more funny stories.

“And then—” Soren couldn’t help but choke on laughter and food. Claudia giggled and pushed his cup closer to him and he took it gratefully before continuing, “And then, do you remember that one time you swallowed a jar full of dad’s glowtoad skin collection?”

“You dared me to!” Claudia was laughing, too. Her meal was finished, though.

He couldn't stop wheezing. “You were glowing for three days straight! I couldn’t sleep at night because it’s so bright!”

“Serves you right!” Claudia lightly punched his arm, of which he overreacted to. “Dad was so angry because those are rare ingredients, too! He hated me for that!”

“Not as much as he hated _me_ when he knew I was the one who dared you to.”

They'd spent hours chattering away about the pranks they did as children. Their Father made appearance in a handful of the stories. Soren did a fairly good job bringing him up without getting tensed, but every time Claudia hinted that she was about to ask about him, Soren would profusely sweat. He would stutter. Claudia took it as a bad sign and quickly recovered by bringing up another prank. Then, her brother would be relieved again.

Claudia knew it was nighttime when light began growing scarce and temperature dropped. The siblings went quiet for a moment before Soren shoot up from his seat and took her hand. She already told him that she could still see enough to not fall down, but he still insisted to hold her hand and guide her whenever they had to walk anywhere. Claudia's made peace with the notion.

“Hold on, I get to sleep out of my cell?” she asked, unsure, when they arrived to Soren's room.

“Why not?” he sounded a bit offended.

Claudia frowned. Because she was a prisoner? Because she thought it was a one-day special treatment? Because everyone was clearly uncomfortable with having her around that they'd even skip dinner if it meant not being in the same room as her? There were so many reasons she could come up with over the top of her head but she went with, “I have no idea how to answer that.”

“Okay." Her brother shrugged, opening the door to his room and tugging her in. "Time for bed, then.”

“Wait!" She pulled back, staying firmly one step outside of his room. "Soren. I mean… I’ve done terrible, terrible things.” She shrunk.

She could feel his gaze on her as he grew quiet. It was the first time any of them had brought up that peace-shattering reality after pretending it didn't exist the entire day. “Because of me," he stated matter-of-factly, squeezing her hand. She looked up at him, frowning. “It’s funny, huh? The only times you make big, stupid mistakes are when I make you do them.”

“Hey,” she said softly but firmly, cupping his cheek to make him look at her. “It was _my_ decision. I could’ve chosen not to do it, but I did. It was a conscious decision on my part. You’re in no way responsible for it. You didn’t make me do it.” Then she threw herself to him, locking him in a hug before she snuggled against his chest. Soren immediately returned the hug; powerfully, like he was scared of letting her go. But she decided she didn't notice that hidden message either. “You’re walking around again; being a knight. That’s all that matters." They were finally talking about it. It made her feel somewhat relieved. "And thank you.” She smiled.

“For what?” he mumbled in her hair.

Claudia broke the hug to look him in the eye again. “For not hating me.”

Soren chuckled in confusion, trying to search Claudia’s pure black eyes. “Why would I hate you? You’re my sister.” _You're the reason I'm still here, _went unsaid.

_For forcing you to live on top of corpses, _went unsaid. Instead, Claudia smiled and stroked his hair lovingly like a mother would to her child. Beautiful, innocent child. “Nah, it’s too hard for you to understand right now. Maybe one day.”

“Am I being insulted right now?”

“Why would I ever?” Claudia chuckled and gave his hair a tousle then, after convincing herself that it was alright, marched into his room, then climbed on top of the bed, followed by Soren.

But before he could answer her, Soren tripped on a hairbrush and then dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

“Soren!” Claudia flew over from the bed to his side, but landed badly so she hit her forehead against the closet. She yelped out of shock and Soren burst out laughing. “I’m fine, thank you for asking,” she hissed, then proceeded to pinch Soren’s arm hard.

“Ouch! Dragon’s dropping!” he cursed.

Claudia sighed in what sounded like relief before mumbling, “Good, you can still feel that.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing!" Claudia squeaked. "Let’s go to bed. Boy, it’s the most exercise I’ve had in _years_. My body's sore. I need my sleep.”

“Psh, lame.”

“Oh, shut up.” She punched his arm; so lightly he almost couldn’t feel it.

He missed sleeping on the same bed as her. Although they’d always had their own bed for as long as he could remember (their family had always had more than enough), they’d slept in the same room when they were children. It caused a lot of bonding but also a lot of fighting for personal space. However, during the time when their parents’ fights had started growing explosive, it provided them with solace.

They’d snuggle in one bed for the rest of the night, holding hands until they’re asleep. Until they weren’t scared anymore. Because they had each other no matter what.

“Can you hold my hand, Sor-Sor?” Claudia asked, facing him. She’d asked that question many times in their childhood as if his hand could magically make all bad things go away. It made him feel needed.

“Yeah, sure?” He took her hand in his.

Claudia whispered a, “Thanks.”

She smiled, closing her eyes as relief washed over her. She didn’t care what tomorrow had to offer, but for now, she was happy. She was actually happy after so long. Soren was with her; healthy and moving. They were together. It was enough.

A moment passed before Soren reluctantly whispered, “Claudia, listen, I… I have something important to tell you. I really don’t know how to say it, but…”

Her eyes remained closed as she whispered back, “That’s okay. You can tell me tomorrow, then. No rush.”

Soren was quiet, thinking. “You’re right. Yeah. Tomorrow, then.”

“Mm-hmm. Good night, Soren.”

“Night, Claudia.”

The dream Soren saw that night was nothing short of a nightmare. It was a remastered version of what happened years ago, suddenly vivid again in his mind despite obvious exaggerations and inaccuracies. His sister was standing on top of corpses, humans and elves alike; holding half an elf horn preciously in her hand as she performed a spell of unspeakable horror. Her hair was turning rapidly white and her breathing cut short but it didn’t stop her. By the end of it, she was left broken and irreparable in order to fix _him. _And what he did was point his sword at her and commanded his troop to arrest her. He could never forget the look of shock and betrayal swimming in her pure black eyes. Nor the smile on her face when he’d asked her why.

“You know why, brother,” she said as she was brought away, “I would do _anything _for you.”

He thought he’d moved on. He thought he’d be able to see all of this from his standpoint as a part of the kingdom. Yet apparently not a day had passed since he didn’t regret betraying her instead of the kingdom. Callum’s order, he’d told himself. But it was him who held the sword.

It was_ his_ decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a long chapter. I hope you guys didn't fall asleep halfway.  
By now, I think it's become obvious where this story is going. How many of you guessed it right? :D


	3. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soren made his choice but Claudia is hesitant. Many, many flashbacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could have been better. But it's been decaying in my laptop for a while now and if I don't post it now, I'm afraid I never would. I apologize that this chapter isn't the best it could be :(
> 
> (First art included in the story is by the amazing @kentang_desu on IG and colored by me. Second one is just my own.)

When morning came, Claudia immediately proceeded with her morning activities and went straight to packing up to leave again. The faster they reached the castle the better.

She was feeling under the weather after that spell she cast on Soren. No amount of sleep could drive her exhaustion away, and the white streak in her hair was confusing her. She couldn’t find anything about it in the spellbook either. She just wanted to rush home and ask her Father about it as soon as possible because the anxiety was eating her alive.

Her eyes wondered to Soren who was doing his morning exercise instead of packing. She’d usually be annoyed, but today she’s just glad he’s standing up and moving like a functioning human being. His bedridden figure from days ago had become just as unreal as a bad dream. She breathed a sigh of relief and then volunteered to pack his belongings for him.

“Thanks, Clauds, my hands are kinda full right no—OUCH!” He was doing push-ups when he suddenly fell flat to the ground, earning a mocking cackle from Claudia. Leave it to her brother to make her laugh even when she wasn't feeling it.

“I’m okay, thanks for asking,” he grumbled before using his arms to push himself up again. Claudia stuck her tongue out and was about to continue packing when she heard him fall again. When she looked at him, he mirrored her confused look.

That was when it clicked.

Claudia felt the oxygen leaving her when she asked, “Are you… okay?” Her heart hammering hard when her brain re-enacted that horrifying scene in the rain.

“I… I can’t move, Clauds…” His voice trembled.

Claudia felt her world crumbling down for the second time that week. No, no, no, no, no.

_Why? _

_How?_

Soren’s eyes were wide with horror. Of course he was horrified; he would’ve recognized the sensation by now. “I’m… I’m scared, Clauds.” Tears were pooling in his eyes in panic and confusion; his voice cracking. “What’s going on?”

As soon as she broke out of her stupor, she abandoned his scattered belongings and crawled to his side, her whole body shaking with unforgiving fear.

“It’s okay.” Her breathing was heavy but she had to be strong for him. She wiped the tear off his eyes. “Everything will be okay.” Claudia’s trembling hands then held his before she remembered that he couldn’t feel it so she moved her hands to his cheeks instead, making him face her, terrified by how easily she did it as if his body had no strength itself. As if it was dead. “I’m here. I would do _anything _to fix you. I promise. I will never _ever _leave you.”

He looked up at her, unconditional trust in his eyes, then sniffled. “Okay.”

She stroked his hair gently and kissed his forehead. “We’ll bring you home. Dad will know what to do.”

* * *

Claudia saw a dream. She was no older than five. Her Father had brought her to one of his adventures to procure magical ingredients in the safer border of Xadia. She'd relentlessly asked to go with him so she was beyond thrilled when he finally complied. She was buzzing in excitement even though he'd warned her it would be tedious. After all, nothing was ever boring when she's with him.

“The level of essence is equivalent to the importance the being has in the ecosystem.” Her Father had taught her as they went about the area. It was a sunny day. Claudia was in a good mood. “How much does a tiny ant worth in this wide universe, Claudia?” he’d asked, showing her the tiny ant on the tip of his finger, just crawling about and wiggling its antennae without a care in the world.

“Like this,” little Claudia had answered by sticking her thumb and index finger together, hoping the tiny gap between her nails could show her Father just how little the ant mattered.

“You are correct,” he told her and she beamed. “Now, does this mean this ant is worthless?”

She nibbled her lip and tried to think again. It was tricky. “Yes?” she answered this time, not quite sure.

Shaking his head lightly, Viren said, “No, Claudia, all living being is worth something. What is important for you to learn, however, is the hierarchy; what is worth more than others. We are not equal.”

Claudia raised a brow. “But King Harrow said we should treat everyone equally.” 

Viren chuckled at the innocence of the statement. “Now, let’s say Soren is behaving very badly to you one day and very nicely the next. Will you still treat him the same? Or will you be mad the first day and be happy the next?”

Claudia scowled and puffed her chubby cheeks. “I’ll be mad the first day and be happy the next…”

“I would imagine.” Viren nodded, then proceeded, “Which holds more importance, this ant or your brother?”

“My brother, of course!”

“Will you kill a thousand of these ants if it means you could save Soren from a very sad fate?”

At that, the little girl hesitated. “Ugh… but these ants didn’t do anything wrong.”

Viren was patient, though, as he provided a more realistic example, “Suppose if, God forbid, Soren hurt his arm and couldn’t hold a sword anymore?”

Little Claudia's expression was that of horror. “Noooo!" she cried, "Soren wants to be a knight when he grew up! He has to be able to hold a sword.”

“Now," Viren continued, gently caressing his daughter's cheek. She looked up at him with big green eyes. "You know if you killed a thousand of these ants, you could help him. He can hold a sword again. Will you do it?”

Claudia looked back and forth between her Father and the ant, fiddling with her little fingers. “I… Ugh… it's so haaard.” She looked at her feet, tearing up.

Viren didn't push. “Perhaps it is an ill-timed question to ask a young soul like you. But fear not, my brilliant daughter, you have what it takes to be a mage. You have what it takes to succeed me; to make sacrifices for the greater good.”

She did it eventually, though, just like he’d predicted. It was not a thousand ants; it was a deer the first time. Then it was something bigger. An alligator. A bear. Many, many birds. Magical creatures, from small to big. But it wasn’t enough, and when the voice in her head wouldn’t stop making her look at the direction she’d been trying to avoid; a line she forbade herself to cross, she made her choice.

When regular humans weren’t enough, she went for mages. Then elves. They were hard to get; she could only procure half a horn and only thanks to Callum. Poor, trusting Callum who wouldn’t stop believing her lies. With all the _ingredients _she managed to obtain, she could finally perform the spell she needed to permanently fix Soren, but it came with a great cost. She was prepared for anything, but standing on the receiving end of her brother’s sword instead of behind him as he protected her was not one of them.

“Why?” he’d asked her when she was brought away; so heartbroken and betrayed.

It opened her eyes to the reality of what she’d become. What she’d forgotten along the way was the fact that she was not God and she wasn’t supposed to decide who lives and who dies. And that her retribution had yet to be made.

* * *

Claudia didn’t feel like she’d slept for long when subtle yet unstopping sounds anxious footsteps and objects thrown onto each other made it hard to even try. Her arm reached for Soren whom she remembered vividly was sleeping beside her the night before but was now gone. That’s when she knew he was the one making those sounds.

She slowly sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to make out the figure in the dark.

“Soren?”

“Oh, hey, Clauds,” he immediately responded, much to her relief. She had no means to protect herself if it was some kind of ill-intended intruder. Her magic was all but gone, after all. “Good, you’re up. I’m almost done packing.”

Packing?

Claudia looked outside the window and could tell right away that it was still too dark to be out and about yet her brother’s engine was already up and running. Did he even sleep at all? He was disturbingly giddy.

Soren tossed a book and a bag onto her lap.

“What?” Claudia stroked the cover of the book and surge of nostalgia and familiarity overtook her. Its weight and how it sat perfectly on her lap. “Where did you get this?”

“No time to explain. Let’s just go.” He made a weak attempt to pull her up but when she didn’t move, he left to the other side of the room where there seemed to be half-packed bags.

“Go where?” Claudia asked carefully, but her brother was too busy cramming supplies into bags to answer her. “Soren, _where are we going_?” she asked again, now warily yet demanding.

When he finally managed to somehow close the bags despite the unconventional arrangement of the objects inside, Soren answered her hurriedly, “Far away from here. We can go to Del Bar where Mom is.” He slung the overweight bags over his shoulders and Claudia was reminded of how strong her brother was. “It’s a bit far and we probably gotta adjust to the climate once we arrive but don’t fret, your awesome brother already packed our winter gears. I know, I’m so prepared.”

Claudia looked speechless, blinking and ignoring his narcissistic joke. “And then what?”

“I don’t know, Claudia, I didn’t think that far!” He sounded angry as he pulled her from the bed before he started dashing to the door, nearly causing her to drop her spellbook. “You know that’s not my strong fort!”

At this, the former dark mage snapped back in whispers, “Well, you should! This isn’t some fight you can just use your muscles to solve, Soren!”

Soren groaned, clearly exasperated. Claudia mirrored him, being about as exasperated herself. “Okay, we can open a… a shop! A hot brown morning potion shop! We’ll live off it. I’ll read my poems every evening before the shop closes like you wanted, and then we’ll—whatever, we can think about that along the way! It’ll probably take days to reach Del Bar anyway." He attempted to tug her again. "Come on, Clauds.”

But once again, Claudia stubbornly avoided Soren's grasp. “Soren, I’m so confused. You missed explaining the most important thing to me: what is going on?”

“Listen, I promise I’ll tell you everything once we get out of here. Right now’s not the time and you know I’m bad at explaining stuff." Claudia could tell that Soren was shaking. It wasn't right. Her brother was supposed to be brave. "Please, Clauds, just… just trust me.”

Claudia was still reluctant. It was tempting to just comply with whatever Soren wanted her to do just so he could stop sounding so miserable. Still, everything didn't sit right with Claudia. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. So many things she wanted to verify before they went about with Soren's mysterious plans. After all, she had always been critical with planning. She had only gotten so far because she was good at thinking from the opponent's side and formulate a plan to overthrow them, after all.

But that was never Soren's strong suit. He was never the best when it came to reading people and digging out their weakness to use against them later. He was always the one to charge into battle without plan if it meant fulfilling his duty. It was noble. Naive, but noble.

And he was her brother. She would trust him with her life. She would, even if said life wouldn't be safe until the end.

Apparently, the couple of seconds she took to think of a response was killing Soren, especially when he had no idea what was going through her mind right now. Still, he was relieved when she wrapped her arms around him and whispered an, “I do. I trust you.”

Hugging her back, Soren planted a kiss on the top of her head and whispered, "Everything will be okay. I promise."

She nodded against his chest. She decided not to tell him that she didn't care if it would be okay. As long as they were together.

Soren had chosen the time of the night where he knew the security would be the lowest. He held her hand to guide her through the dark halls. Most of their baggage was with him; Claudia was only carrying her old satchel with the spellbook and a bunch of random ingredients she guessed Soren had gotten from the dungeon. As long as they could keep quiet, they would be able to leave the castle ground unscathed. Keeping quiet used to be the hardest thing to do for the siblings but oh, how things had changed. 

They had managed to slip off the royal courtyard unnoticed. Soren was right about this moment being the moment where the guards were the most vulnerable. But he had forgotten to take into account the full moon. And therefore, the Moonshadow elf guards on the peak of their power, not affected by the need to rest, had also slipped his mind.

“Hey, what are you doing?" an elf guard spotted them almost immediately. "Stop right there! And is that the—boys, he has the prisoner with him!”

“Oh, shoot.”

Soren abandoned some baggage and began to sprint, pulling Claudia with him.

With her heart hammering against her chest, Claudia began mentally chanting her calming mantra. Not for everything to be okay. But to ward off the unreasonable fear within so she could focus on just being here. Being here with Soren, maybe for the last time.

* * *

After the conversation with Soren and Rayla today, Callum had a hard time going to sleep. He was a ball of anxiety just waiting to explode. The next day was the execution day and he was restless like a ten-year-old boy the night before his field trip. He had been tossing and turning in his sleep for hours before he could finally get into it, but only an hour after that, he was woken up by the most inappropriate lie known to exist.

“Callum, a spider the size of my palm is making its way to your private part, on a mission to destroy your dream of having three children.”

Callum shrieked and shot up from his bed, scrambling to throw his blanket to the floor. Amidst his heavy breathing and erratic heartbeat, he could see the calm look on Rayla’s face. Then the darkness outside. “Rayla, it’s really not the appropriate time for such an elaborate prank!”

“It’s not the appropriate time to be running away with a prisoner either, but there Soren goes anyway." Rayla's expression didn't shift. "It’s not even half a day away from the end of his task and he just doesn’t have it in him to be committed.”

Callum shrieked again. “He did _what_?”

“Please, keep shouting," Rayla sarcastically requested. "Now put on whatever decent robe you have and let’s stop him before he does anything more stupid than this and get himself executed too.”

By the time Rayla finished, Callum was already scrambling out of his bed and snatching out the first robe he saw in the wardrobe then sprinting out of the room, followed by the elf. There were already a few more guards out there waiting for him.

“Remind me, why did I let him take the job again?” Callum asked as they rushed to the scene. Dammit, he trusted the guy.

“Because you’re a softie who is also his old friend.” Rayla was no-nonsense as usual.

Callum was reminded. “Does Ezran know?”

Rayla shook her head. “I ordered the guards not to inform him before I allow them to. Should I have told him?”

“No, that’s a good call.”

“Good to know.”

“I just hope we can handle this before things get ugly.”

How did he let this happen?

* * *

Soren ran and ran. His mind was a fog. From time to time, he made sure that he was still holding Claudia's hand. If he had accidentally left her, then, there was no point in anything he was doing.

He was sacrificing everything for her. Even the thing he had always yearned for for the last four years; the kingdom's trust. He had completely assassinated the possibility of that ever happening by doing what he was doing. Right here, right now. Like she did for him four years ago. 

Soren wondered if back then, Claudia felt what he was feeling. So much doubt, so many questions. Threatening to resurface no matter how many times he shut them down. Yet all of those were inferior to his unbending desire to see this person alive and well. As long as he could get that, he would do anything. 

The thought had occurred to him two months ago, after he was banned to see her. King Ezran, the only person in the kingdom who trusted him, had summoned him after hearing about the prison break attempt. Soren had expected to be reprimanded. To have his position renounced. But instead, the young King had graced him with a gentle, sorrowful smile.

"I'm sorry," he had said, placing his hand on top of Soren's, squeezing it gently.

Soren remembered asking, "What for?"

The King removed his hand and stood straight, overlooking the kingdom from the terrace of his chamber, hands behind his back. "I believed that reconciling humanity and Xadia was the only thing that mattered. That everyone would be happy as long as we achieved that. I failed to notice what this peace has done to you until it's too late, Soren. And I apologize for that. I hope you could find it in you to forgive me."

Soren remembered being so puzzled. He had expected apologies from so many people, but the King was never one of them. Yet, that day, he saw the genuine sadness in his face. The traces of regret.

That was when Soren knew that everyone, not only him, had been hurt by what happened years ago. That the peace they were living in didn't erase that pain; that wound. That they were still living with the aftermath.

Soren had felt less alone. He had shed tears that day, in the presence of the King.

"Remember the dungeon?" King Ezran had asked after Soren's tears subsided. Soren had nodded. "It's been left as is because everybody is too weirded out to step into it anymore. I still remember the combination. I'll let you know and you swing by whenever you feel like it. For nostalgia or just to get away from everything when it gets too much. Of course, only if you want to."

It didn't take Soren much time to think. The place was more of Viren and Claudia's place than his, but he had been there an ample of times as well. To be fair, anything magic would easily remind him of them. He didn't know if it was good for him to relive those memories again, but he would find out only after he gave it a try.

And so he did, and he hadn't been able to stop. Because that place was where it started. Dark magic was where it started. And it had ended in his loneliness and Claudia's imprisonment. 

He hated magic so much but he also couldn't let go of it. He wondered if there was ever truly an end to his love-hate relationship with magic.

Oh, who was he kidding? He was forever tied. Even now, he had depended on the magic as backup plan, hadn't he? Butchering the King's trust that day by stuffing every ingredient in the dungeon into Claudia's satchel. In the end, dark magic had ruined him, too.

“Soren, stop it!” Claudia protested, but Soren was so focused on his thoughts and running that he disregarded her. “Let go!” she screamed, then powerfully shook her hand off his grip, putting them into a halt.

Only then did Soren truly broke out of his trance. “What the hell, Claudia?" he snapped. "The guards are waking up. We gotta get outta here before they block the exit!”

She daringly looked at him. “We’re not going to make it.”

Soren promptly gripped her shoulders and looked her back in the eye. “Look, we can still escape. I know a secret pathway. I’ll distract—”

“No!” she screamed, startling him. “Stop it, Soren!" From her tone, he could tell that she was truly upset. “Don’t do anything that will put you in a position where you have to choose whether to regret it or not.”

The pain in her voice told him it wasn't just about him. It was something that went further back. He knew. He remembered that day as if it was yesterday; he knew she did, too. The sparks flying in the room and her first white streak. The senses coming back to him in exchange for her life and sanity. 

Soren gathered the courage to ask, “Do you regret saving me, Clauds?”

Claudia shrunk, heart sinking. As she hesitated, Soren could already hear the sound of heavy boots reverberating from every direction. The castle was coming to life dangerously fast.

“I feel… remorse towards the people whose life I’ve taken," Claudia whispered apologetically, looking down. "But I don’t regret saving you. I know you’d do anything to protect me. And I would do anything for you." She looked up at him again, smiling. "Siblings code, right?”

Siblings code. They'd made that silly promise as kids. They'd always been close. They weren't shy about expressing their love and care for each other despite being raised in a family with emotionally stunted parents. Perhaps it was because of that that they knew they had to depend on each other. Especially after witnessing what lack of expressiveness had done to their parents' relationship.

It was simply that they didn't want to end up like that.

Still, on some nights for the last four years, Soren wondered if things would have been easier if they weren't so close. If it would be easier to hate her and just move on with life, leaving her behind as a bad memory. A bad chunk of his life. Instead of randomly bursting into tears when he questioned why things couldn't go back to how they were. Instead of crawling back to her and hoping his forgiveness would magically mend their relationship. 

Hoping some words would magically fix things... now, he sounded like a dark mage.

It hadn't. He could still remember how perplexed he was at her meltdown three years ago. When he had told her he still wanted her in his life. Her agonizing screams, banging against her prison walls that day had destroyed his heart. He found himself asking the same, undying question of how it had gotten to this point.

“So, what is this?" Soren asked; that familiar feeling of something important slipping off his grip coming back in full force. Like that day he saw the worst of her like he no longer knew her. "I’m so confused. You know... you know I’m not the best when it comes to thinking.” He was holding her hand tightly as he anticipated what she was going to tell him next. 

As if to soothe his building anxiety, Claudia rubbed circle around the back of his palm. It helped a little. “I know you’d do anything to protect me. But it’s not too late for you to redeem yourself, Soren. The current King trusts you. If you betray him, there will be no place left for you. I’m a lost cause, but you? You still have a chance at this. We don’t have to both pay for it.”

Soren’s eyes faltered, heart sinking into the depths he didn't know it was capable of going. “I don’t understand.” His voice broke.

Guards were already circling them, keeping their distance and being on alert when they spotted the spellbook and dark magic ingredients.

“Oh, Sor-sor,” Claudia cooed regardless, reaching to wipe the tears he didn’t know were there. “I think you do.”

Soren was thankful that his sister couldn’t completely see the absolute despair in his face because he wore his heart in his sleeves. His throat _burned. _So dry he wasn’t confident he could say anything without choking. Was this really it? Was there nothing he could do to change things?

A guard screamed at Soren to quit being an utter fool and hand Claudia over, going on about how he would be punished for treason as well if he refused to comply.

Must he be the one who turn his sister in? Again?

“No!” Soren screamed, squeezing his tears away. The guards raised their swords to intimidate them. "Not again, please!"

No, he didn't want to relive that one memory again. He didn't want to betray her again.

“Soren, please…” Claudia choked. He had only then noticed that she was crying, too.

"Surrender now!" was another warning from the guards.

Soren cowered under extreme pressure. He had never felt more cornered. More hopeless. Not since the day Claudia decided to join their Father regardless of his pleas. When she had chained him down as she walked away. When she made him watch them disappear into thin air. 

“I would do anything to protect you," he still managed to choke out, not letting go of Claudia's hands. "I will never _ever _leave you. Just like you never left me. I can fix this." Claudia sniffled, lips quivering as she squeezed her tears away. It was his turn to wipe her tears. She had always been the sweetheart to him and their Father; wrapping them in hugs and showering them with affection when she thought they needed it. He hadn't repaid her. "We can… we can still be together, right?” he asked, just needing any sort of validation.

Soren no longer knew who he was doing this for. It was never for Claudia, was it? It was just for his own selfish reasons. He just didn't want to lose any more family member. Not like this.

Evening her breathing, Claudia then drew a shaky breath before saying, “Soren, you know it’s hard for me, too, but I… I _have_ to pay for what I’ve done.” Her hand landed on the hilt of Soren’s sword. “Nothing hurts anymore. Not in a long time.”

Upon realizing what she was implying, Soren's whole body went limp. How could she have expected him to do such thing?

There were more threatening screams from the guards around them. Soren drew his sword, but instead of complying to Claudia's wish, he pointed it at his fellow guards, screaming at them to back off and responding their threats with more of his own. He could feel Claudia's hand weakly pulling him back, silently pleading him to stop. But he didn't want to. 

He saw Callum amidst the guards, Rayla standing protectively in front of him. The young royal advisor had a troubled look in his face. That, and betrayal. 

Right, he had given Soren his trust earlier that day despite struggling with trust issues himself. Soren had destroyed that, too. He had sacrificed everything. Just for something he most likely would never get.

_Was this how you felt, too?_

Back when Claudia didn't have a definite answer to his recovery, was this how she felt? Did she progressively destroy everything, killing innocent beings, _people, _for something she didn't even know would work out?

She had done that for him. He would do this for her, too.

“Claudia," he called her name, looking over his shoulder. She looked up, looking even sadder than before. "I-I know you’ve always been the smarter one. You’re always right. But just once, _please_, please listen to me.”

Now, Claudia's expression became unreadable. She then looked around. To the guards drawing their swords and ready to strike any time they deemed her a threat.

Claudia closed her eyes, absorbing her brother's sweet, empty promise of a happy future that existed only in foolish imagination. And when she did, she was back to the dungeon. To her prison for the last four years. Back to the first days she was there. Recalling how hopelessness kept her company when Soren had refused to see her in the beginning. 

_What did I even sacrifice everything for?_

She had often asked herself such question. In the silence of her cell, just drowning in unforgiving regrets. Some days, she was even convinced that she hated Soren. Had accused him of being ungrateful. Labeling him a traitor.

After a while, though, her beliefs took a drastic turn. She began blaming herself. Remembering the look of betrayal on Soren's face the day he had to arrest her. Questioning why she had put him in such position when initially, all she wanted was for him to be healthy and happy. Punishing herself for being so selfish he had to clean her mess again, just like when they were little.

She took it to close her eyes and imagine the worst of things to happen to her. Something painful, something fatal. Wallowing in the hatred her brother most likely harbored for her and using it to convince herself what an irredeemable monster she was and why it was right for such monster to be imprisoned. After that, everything was easier to accept. 

When Soren finally started visiting her, nearly a year after she was detained, she had reacted in a way that even Soren couldn't bear to watch. She had lashed out, refusing to see him and even hurting herself to threaten him to leave. The royal physician had explained that it was the most unstable Claudia had been since her imprisonment and that Soren was not allowed to visit for months to come.

All because he had smiled at her and told her he still loved her. He had forgiven her. That she was his sister and they would always be family no matter what.

But she still couldn't forgive herself. If he no longer hated her, then, what other punishment was she supposed to go on with? Sinners like her didn't deserve a happy future. 

"Claudia..." Soren whimpered, squeezing her hands and pulling her back to reality. Claudia opened her eyes, and now, she was able to see his face clearer than before. "Please..."

He looked so sad. So miserable. It wasn't supposed to come to this.

Claudia slipped her hands off of his grip and forced a shaky smile, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Soren, the royal physician was wrong," she admitted. "I haven’t been feeling well at all. Every second I spend out here not paying for what I’ve done is killing me alive. I hear voices telling me that all of this—going out again and having fun with you like I never committed high treason—isn’t real and that I’m imagining all of this in the solidity of my cell. That I’m so insane I can’t tell the difference, I…” she paused and took a deep breath when her voice broke. With one strong swing, she removed her satchel and tossed it to the ground, making her refusal to resort to magic clear. “I can’t go with you, Soren. This isn’t right.”

The guards erupted into shock.

When Claudia's gaze returned to Soren, she flashed him another sorrowful smile then jumped to wrap him into a hug. The last hug she’d been promised with.

Despite his initial confusion, Soren was about to hug her back. Until he took notice of the uncomfortable wetness pooling around his feet. There was a collective gasp from around them. He had only then realized that his sister had pushed the blade up before jumping to him to impale herself with his sword.

Soren watched in horror as his sister crouched and pressed a hand against the gaping wound in her torso. His reflexes beat his brain as he quickly cushioned her fall and held her in his arms. “No,” he breathed, heartbeat accelerating uncontrollably, “No, no, no,_ no, **no!**_”

He wanted to yell at everyone—_anyone—_to help his sister; but he knew no one would. All the guards around him had lowered their weapons.

From his place, Callum tensed and took a sharp breath. He couldn’t look away even when every fiber of his being commanded him to. His eyes were unblinking as if he didn’t want to miss any second of what was unfolding before him.

Beside him, Rayla discreetly took his hand before whispering, “Hey, it’s okay to cry.”

Callum finally tore his eyes off the scene and looked at Rayla, tears pooling around his green eyes. His mouth trembled. It’s so stupid. He knew this would happen sooner or later anyway, so why was he being so weak? Up until an hour ago, he was sleeping and expecting to wake up to witness Claudia’s execution in person anyway and he was sure he was strong enough to do it. But now was the proof that he’s still a little boy inside. No matter how many times she’d betrayed him, he still couldn’t bring himself to hate her. To him, she was still that little girl whom he gave flowers to and grinned brightly at him in return. Soren was still that older brother figure who’d make fun of his weaknesses yet still tried to help him improve anyway. Before they were traitors, they were his oldest friends.

Where did everything go so wrong?

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to no one in particular, before burying his face into Rayla’s shoulder as the elf stroked the back of his head gently like a Mother.

At the same time, Rayla continued watching the siblings. Her heart clenched. She recalled reading books with Claudia earlier today. She had never read books in her life. It was curious how much enjoyable such tedious activity became when you did it with the right person. 

Rayla had lied to Callum about barely talking to Claudia in the library. They had gone on and on about everything and nothing at all. Rayla wondered, if the circumstances were different, whether they would be friends. But she guessed she would never know now.

"Ah! Got it," Claudia had said in the library earlier, trailing a certain part of the page with her finger, finally finding what she'd been looking for. "Thank God, the magic will remain."

Rayla had observed her, then decided to address it, "You know you're going to die, don't you?"

"Yeah," she had answered, without hesitation. "Yeah, I do." She had worn that smile on her face. The smile that Rayla had always hated since they first met because it never seemed real. She hated that it's nearly impossible to read her when she was smiling like that.

She was even smiling like that right now. So, so irritable.

“Soren?” Claudia whispered.

“I’m here, Clauds," Soren whispered back. "I’m here…” 

Claudia opened her mouth to say something, but choked on blood and coughed painfully. Soren held her trembling body tighter and blinked away the tears in his eyes.

“I’m always here for you, okay?” he whispered and felt her nod before she spat every drop of blood clogging her throat. His eyes burned.

“Okay,” she managed to answer, her voice breathy. “Can you... hold my hand?” _Like when we were little_, went unsaid. _Staying up and hiding under the blanket as mom and dad would fight behind closed doors._

Without question, Soren grabbed his sister’s hand that wasn’t holding her gaping wound but was nevertheless bloody. He ignored the unpleasant stickiness and the smell of iron that only got stronger. He felt even more sick knowing all the blood came from his most important family member left and that he had no means or the right to stop it.

Even years since it started, he never stopped wondering how it had come to this. How did he let it happen?

There were still so many things he wanted to talk to her about. To see her do. To let her see him do. So many places he wanted to bring her to. Trips he wanted to plan with her. See her find love and get married. Have a family of her own. Children whom she would properly love and protect. Who wouldn't end up like them.

And the shop... they'd never get the chance to open it anymore, now, would they?

Shame. Claudia would have loved to own a place she could call hers. Brew her delicious potion and share it with the world. She'd had similar, innocent dreams like that when they were much, much younger. When there was no dark magic between them. 

Oh, what wouldn't he give to return to that simple time?

“You feeling any pain, sis?” Soren asked, just to fill the silence and keep track of his sister’s consciousness.

She weakly shook her head against his shoulder but didn’t say anything. Her breathing getting dangerously shallow, taking longer in-between as her grip on his hand grew limp. And as her heartbeat slowed, Soren's only accelerated. His throat felt dryer than sandpaper while fighting the sobs that were threatening to emerge.

“Sor-sor?” Claudia called after a while, voice barely a whisper.

“Yeah, Clauds?” he immediately responded, although the pet name broke his voice, squeezing her hand tighter just in case she couldn’t feel him.

“I’m not…scared anymore.” She took a deep breath, feeling like a little girl again, safe in her brother’s embrace even when outside was a storm of her fears. “Good night.”

The world fell silent.

* * *

Soren was twenty-two when he had to take his sister’s life. Retribution, they called it.

Wrong. He called it treachery. Treachery to his sister’s trust and sacrifice. Treachery to her love and devotion. Treachery to his vow and promise.

_“But, sister, don’t fret_  
_See you on the other side_  
_Be there soon with you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, yes, I love the brodigies. I also love angst.
> 
> I originally wanted to post this chapter on the day S3 aired but didn't finish on time. Then after S3 I was just so depressed about what happened to these siblings that I didn't feel like continuing this story.
> 
> But hey, now that I see it, this story can be loosely tied to the recent development, no? X"D
> 
> Anyways, thanks a lot guys. All of you who stick with this story until the end. I love you and thank you for giving this story a chance. I know Mage Fam-centered stories aren't the most popular in the fandom so I'm very happy with the response I get for this story!


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